| Bukowski Chapel Reservation Procedure |
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| Congratulations on your engagement to be married! |
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| Because the Campus Ministry team is a small staff and because we want our chapel to be available for students, alumni, Board of Trustees, faculty, staff or their immediate family members (spouse or children), only these persons may pursue the use of the Bukowski Chapel for weddings. |
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| Catholic parties must abide by the marriage policy of the Grand Rapids Diocese; there is a 6 month preparation period. If neither party is a member of a parish, it is important to find one that is willing to accommodate the preparation process with the couple. Couples must contact their own pastor/presider (a priest or a deacon) and make arrangements for a diocesan approved marriage preparation process. If a couple is unable to meet the conditions of marriage preparation and documentation by the time of the wedding, Aquinas College is not bound to the rental contract. |
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| The "Pre-Marriage File" documentation needs to be sent to St. Thomas the Apostle Parish since the Sacrament of Marriage is recorded in their registry. St. Thomas the Apostle Church (1449 Wilcox Park Dr. SE 49506) is the canonical parish of the Aquinas Community. The parish phone is (616) 459-4662. |
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| If neither of the parties to be married are Catholic, the minister/pastor who is to preside/officiate at the wedding needs to write to the Office of the Bishop of the Diocese Grand Rapids, to request permission to perform a wedding in a Catholic Chapel. The address is 660 Burton Street. SE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49507. The Diocesan phone is (616) 243-0491. |
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| The prospective bride or the groom is encouraged to contact the Chapel Coordinator to discuss wedding policies, chapel use policies, and set-up needs. A tour of the chapel space is helpful to this conversation. The Chapel Coordinator can be available to the wedding party on the day of the rehearsal. Please contact Theresa Marshall at (616) 632-2493 or marshthe@aquinas.edu. |
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| After talking with one party of the engaged couple, and after assessing that the diocesan requirements will be met, the Chapel Coordinator contacts the Conferencing Department with a request to tentatively reserve the space for an available date of the party’s preference. The Conferencing Department makes contact with the party in order to mail a contract. Once the deposit has been made, the tentative reservation is confirmed. |
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| The Bukowski Chapel can accommodate 120 people comfortably. The Chapel rental is $350 and does not qualify for the alumni discount. There is an additional fee of $40 for the Chapel Coordinator if you want her to meet with you at the chapel to orient you to the space and to be available at the rehearsal. The rental fee is for the space as is (it is set up for a mass). Additional set-up arrangements will be accompanied by additional fees through the Conferencing Department. The space needs to be left in its original condition as Eucharistic liturgy takes place on Sundays from late August to early May. |
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